daughter, whom you
cannot well over-estimate. She will yet bring you to great honour. Who
is there, let him be of what rank in life he may, who would not
willingly be your son-in-law?" "There you are," interposed Paumgartner;
"there you see, Master Martin, the noble Herr von Spangenberg is
exactly of my opinion. I already see our dear Rose a patrician's bride
with the rich jewellery of pearls[18] in her beautiful flaxen hair."
"My dear sirs," began Martin, quite testily, "why do you, my dear sirs,
keep harping upon this matter--a matter to which I have not as yet
directed my thoughts? My Rose has only just reached her eighteenth
year; it's not time for such a young thing to be looking out for a
lover. How things may turn out afterwards--well, that I leave entirely
to the will of the Lord; but this I do at any rate know, that none
shall touch my daughter's hand, be he patrician or who he may, except
the cooper who approves himself the cleverest and skilfullest master in
his trade--presuming, of course, that my daughter will have him, for
never will I constrain my dear child to do anything in the world, least
of all to make a marriage that she does not like." Spangenberg and
Paumgartner looked at each other, perfectly astonished at this
extraordinary decision of the Master's.[19] At length, after some
clearing of his throat, Spangenberg began, "So, then, your daughter is
not to wed out of her own station?" "God forbid she should," rejoined
Martin. "But," continued Spangenberg, "if now a skilled master of a
higher trade, say a goldsmith, or even a brave young artist, were to
sue for your Rose and succeeded in winning her favour more than all
other young journeymen, what then?" "I should say," replied Master
Martin, throwing his head back into his neck, "show me, my excellent
young friend, the fine two-tun cask which you have made as your
masterpiece; and if he could not do so, I should kindly open the door
for him and very politely request him to try his luck elsewhere." "Ah!
but," went on Spangenberg again, "if the young journeyman should reply,
'A little structure of that kind I cannot show you, but come with me to
the market-place and look at yon beautiful house which is sending up
its slender gable into the free open air--that's my masterpiece.'" "Ah!
my good sir, my good sir," broke in Master Martin impatiently, "why do
you give yourself all this trouble to try and make me alter my
conviction? Once and for all, my son